Hi Mark, congrats on the new facility! That's very exciting. This might be a little too late for your grand opening, but I've used several property management software through the years. You have a handful to choose from, each with their pros and cons, and the devil is really in the details on how you want to operate your property. Obviously, you'd have to check with each vendor to see if they integrate with your gate software, but it's really common unless you have a niche software.
Personally, I've found Tenant Inc's "Hummingbird" software to be the best all arounder. It allows for online rentals with identity verification, an included website that is dynamic and easily customizable from within the software, and some forward thinking features. Updates to the software happen monthly, and in the 7 months we've used it it just continues to get better and better. Our website is very aesthetically pleasing and performs really well on benchmark tests out of the box. We're currently in the process of switching all our facilities to it and have been really happy with the results.
U-Haul's WebSelfStorage is probably your best value. For a screaming deal at $44.95 and really low credit card processing fees, you get a web-page on U-Haul's domain, online rentals, online ID verification (I'm pretty sure on this), and a fairly modern software like Tenant's. It almost seems too good to be true to me, and I hesitate to use it due to U-Haul being one of the largest operators in the industry. Data is gold these days, and having your own property management software running across the nation is a huge advantage… to U-Haul. It lacks the customization that Tenant offers and the online website isn't as nice, but $44.95 is hard to forget. A higher converting website can easily make up the difference in opportunity cost, though.
Storable software is a clear contender in the space and what I would call your legacy software. Between Sitelink, StorEdge, and Easy Storage Solutions, they offer a suite of software products that extends further than just property management software and is a giant in the industry. While I can't speak for StorEdge and ESS, since I haven't had any firsthand experience, we've used Sitelink for many years. You can't really go wrong with any of these three, but there seems to be stalled development on improving the property management software any further. The growth you'll see is horizontal, meaning there are additional supplemental products they are either outright purchasing or building and offered as add ons you can purchase. We've found our property management software to be clunky and outdated, so we finally decided to make the switch. Whatever your decision, these are all established software choices and it'll probably work well enough.
Cubby Storage is another newcomer to the industry and seems to have roots from within the tech industry. I believe it comes with a website, just like Tenant, with really streamlined online rentals. From the demo's I've received, they have some really neat features that will age well and that I think the industry as a whole will need to implement in one way or another. It's one to keep your eye.
The software you choose, in my opinion, is one of the most important decisions you can make for your business and dictates how you are able to present your "digital office" online. Electronic leases, online payments, and gate integrations are table stakes in 2025. To be frank, I think these are already becoming outdated in the e-commerce world (when's the last time you digitally signed a document for a purchase online? It's all click wrap and accepting terms and conditions). I would speak with each vendor thoroughly and browse through some real websites that use their product offering and make the decision from there. All your customers are already used to transacting online, so a fast, modern, and high converting website is a bare minimum. Best of luck with lease up!
Original Message:
Sent: 10-31-2024 04:21 PM
From: Mark Counts
Subject: Best All Inclusive Management Software
Hi! We are opening a new facility and would like to know what is the best software that will do it all. From electronic leases, payments, gate codes etc. Please let me know who you suggest and the pros and cons if you can. Thanks in advance!
------------------------------
Mark Counts
Benco Property Holding Company, LLC dba Oakwood Storage
Conroe TX
(832) 702-6099
------------------------------